Murphys, CA…Walt was born in 1914 in Detroit, Michigan and passed away on November 6, 2017 at age 103. When he was 5 years old, his family embarked on a cross country camping trip to leave frigid Michigan for the warm, sunny climate of California. In the months it took to cross the country, they saw as many National Parks as possible- Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Yosemite and more. The family often had to camp for days by a river to wait for the water level to go down so they could cross. They settled in Los Angeles, where Walt went to school. In the 1930’s, Walt lived for a time in San Francisco, often walking down to the Marina to watch the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Walt owned and operated a printing company, first printing specs for all the aerospace companies. When that declined, his company printed books. He retired after 30 years and spent most of his time thereafter traveling with his wife Thelma, to whom he was married for 66 years. They were pretty good golfers and played until they were 90 years old! He was an avid reader and read only non-fiction, always wanting to learn more.

In 2000, he and Thelma moved to Murphys to be closer to family. Walt made many friends here and people loved his friendly ways. He was the gentlest of gentlemen and will be greatly missed.

He was preceded in death by his wife Thelma and his son Neil. He is survived by his daughter Janis (Dave) Olson, his daughter-in-law Elaine Wilkinson, his grandchildren Tim, Kory and Michele and 8 great grandchildren and numerous nieces and great nieces.

As per his wishes, there will be no services. If you wish to honor his memory, give a stranger a smile today, do a small kindness for someone, or help a person in need, for this is what he did his entire life.